Scottish Executive

Autism

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to investigate the possibility of setting up a centre based on the Son-Rise Program run by the Autism Treatment Centre of America.

Malcolm Chisholm: : The Scottish Executive has no current plans to investigate the possibility of setting up a centre based on the Son-Rise Program.

Autism

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to collate information regarding the cost of caring for and educating persons with an autistic spectrum disorder over their lifetime.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has no plans to collate information about the cost of caring for and educating persons with an autistic spectrum disorder over their lifetime.

Cancer

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many men were diagnosed with prostate cancer in each year since 1990.

Susan Deacon: The table shows the number of men diagnosed with prostate cancer in each year from 1990 to 1997, the most recent year for which cancer registration data are available:

  


Year of registration 
  

Numbers of cases 
  



1990 
  

1,341 
  



1991 
  

1,350 
  



1992 
  

1,429 
  



1993 
  

1,725 
  



1994 
  

1,796 
  



1995 
  

1,876 
  



1996 
  

2,060 
  



1997 
  

1,905 
  



  1998 registrations are provisional but currently stand at 1,784. Incidence is slightly inflated in 1996 due to the introduction of a standard definition of incidence data across Scotland.

Cancer

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it anticipates that increased life expectancy will result in an increase in the number of patients being diagnosed with prostate cancer and, if so, what plans it has made to address this increase, particularly in terms of the number of consultant urologists.

Susan Deacon: The numbers of men diagnosed with prostate cancer is expected to increase, due to the increased numbers of men in the older age groups.

  It is a matter for NHS boards to assess and provide for local needs, including the numbers of staff required for effective service delivery. For medical workforce planning, the number of higher specialist training posts available in Scotland is regularly adjusted to meet the projected number of new consultants needed.

Cancer

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many consultant urologists were in post in (a) 1995 and (b) 2000 and how many it expects to be in post in 2005.

Susan Deacon: Information on the number of consultant urologists in post in 1995 and 2000 is shown in the following table, which should be read in conjunction with the notes. This shows an increase of 33.3 per cent for Headcount and 32.3 per cent for whole time equivalent during this period.

  Robust projections on the number of consultant urologists that will be in post in 2005 are not available centrally. It is a matter for each NHS board to assess and provide for local needs and to determine the staffing levels required for effective service delivery.

  Number of Consultant Urologists in post in 1995 and 2000

  

 

1995 
  

2000 
  



Headcount 
  

36 
  

48 
  



WTE 
  

36.0 
  

47.6 
  



  Notes:

  1. Source: Information and Statistical Division.

Cancer

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a centre of excellence in Scotland for the treatment of prostate cancer.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive’s strategy for all cancers is to ensure patients have access to the best care possible through multidisciplinary managed clinical networks involving clinicians drawn from among relevant disciplines.

  There are, therefore, no "centres of excellence" vested within particular institutions or facilities.

Drug Misuse

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there has been any reduction in resources available for the detection of illegal drugs within Scotland.

Iain Gray: No. The Minister for Finance and Local Government announced in his budget statement an extra £28 million for tackling drugs in Scotland. £11.78 million of this money will be spent measures over the period 2001-02 to 2003-04 on a package of drug-related enforcement measures, including £5.92 million for the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency.

Drug Misuse

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any rapid detoxification clinics in Scotland and, if there are none, what plans it has to open such clinics.

Iain Gray: There are no rapid detoxification clinics in Scotland at present. The Executive’s Effective Interventions Unit is in the process of commissioning a research review to examine the evidence on the effectiveness of a range of treatments for opiate users, including residential and community detoxification. The results of this review will enable drug action teams to consider whether such clinics offer best practice.

Drug Misuse

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many residential places have been utilised for the treatment of drug and alcohol addiction since May 1999, broken down by health board area.

Iain Gray: This information is not held centrally.

Elderly People

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that the views of older people on the provision of public services are fully considered.

Malcolm Chisholm: We are committed to ensuring that older people have their say in the development of polices which affect them. Already through the work of the Care Development Group and the Chief Medical Officer’s Expert Group on the Healthcare of Older People, older people have been able to present their views through a range of consultation methods such as newspaper advertisements, questionnaires, telephone surveys, public meetings and focus groups.

  We have established an Older People’s Unit within the Executive to take forward the development of an over-arching strategy for older people across the Executive and are in discussion with a range of older people’s organisations about appropriate mechanisms for consultation and involvement. In some areas older people are already working in partnership with local authorities and other agencies in the planning and delivery of public services.

Environment

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any cases of cement being produced in kilns which have been used to burn hazardous waste.

Rhona Brankin: Controls over the burning of waste in industrial processes, including the production of cement, is the responsibility of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). There is one cement kiln in Scotland, operated by Blue Circle near Dunbar. In law, the expression used to describe hazardous waste is "special waste". Blue Circle’s plant uses recycled liquid fuel which is treated by SEPA as special waste. The Special Waste Regulations 1996 require SEPA to impose strict standards and controls.

Epilepsy

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to establish rehabilitation units for people with epilepsy.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive has no such plans.

Erskine Bridge

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its investigation into the failure to renew the Order under the Erskine Bridge Tolls Act 1968 to toll vehicles crossing the bridge has been completed.

Sarah Boyack: The investigation by the head of the Scottish Executive Development Department is now complete. Her conclusions and recommendations are available in the Parliament’s reference centre .  Executive   action is being taken on all the recommendations.

Fertility Treatment

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is undertaking any review of the level of funding devoted to infertility services and, if so, when it expects to report on this work.

Susan Deacon: We are currently undertaking a review of the implementation of the recommendations of the Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland. This review will cover, amongst other aspects, funding of infertility treatments by health boards. This work is an on-going process but initial results should be available in 2002.

Football

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give a detailed breakdown of what has been spent to date on the preparatory work for a possible bid to host the European Football Championship in 2008.

Allan Wilson: My answer to question S1W-17453 on 5 September set out the details of the contributions made by public bodies to the costs of the Euro 2008 feasibility study. The Executive has seconded Mr John Henderson to the Scottish Football Association (SFA) as part of the team being assembled to prepare a detailed bid and is discussing the wider support for the bid with the SFA.

Football

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much finance it has set aside for the feasibility study into hosting the European Football Championships in 2008.

Allan Wilson: The study into the feasibility of hosting the European Nations Football Championships in 2008 was completed in May of this year. The Executive was not involved in meeting the costs of the study. My response to question S1W-17453 on 5 September set out the contributions to the costs by public bodies.

Football

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what staff it has seconded or transferred to the Scottish Football Association or any other organisation to assist with the feasibility study on a bid to host the European Football Championships in 2008.

Allan Wilson: Following completion of the initial feasibility study in May, Mr John Henderson was seconded from the Scottish Executive to the Scottish Football Association (SFA) to assist with the SFA’s consideration of whether to bid for the 2008 event.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it proposes to make chlamydia screening available for all males and females under 30.

Malcolm Chisholm: The UK National Screening Committee (NSC) has now considered the final evaluation report of the chlamydia screening pilot projects run in England over the year to August 2000 and has concluded that a universal national screening programme for chlamydia is not feasible at the present time. The emphasis should rather be on targeted programmes for particular groups. In this respect the national health demonstration project, Healthy Respect, will shortly pilot chlamydia testing in a range of settings to help achieve its headline target of an increase in the reported cases of chlamydia amongst young people by 2003 through raised awareness. This will underpin delivery of the longer-term target to decrease reported prevalence of this infection by 50 per cent by 2010.

Health

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations have been held with the Department of Health in England on workforce planning in the NHS; what steps are being taken to ensure that patient and service needs are the main drivers of workforce planning and development in the NHS, and what work in this area is presently being undertaken by the Scottish Integrated Workforce Planning Group.

Susan Deacon: My department is in regular contact with the Department of Health on a number of issues, including workforce planning. The Scottish Integrated Workforce Planning Group (SIWPG) has identified a number of principles for effective workforce planning in NHSScotland. One of these principles is that the planning of services, driven by patient and service needs, should be integrated with workforce planning and planning for education and training. SIWPG has submitted its final report to the department, which makes a number of recommendations for establishing a robust infrastructure to enable the development of effective and comprehensive workforce planning. We will be announcing shortly the actions to be taken in response to the report.

Health

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which specialisms within general, medical and surgical practice and among nursing staff will be invited to participate in the expert group on acute services reviews.

Susan Deacon: In Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change , I set out my intention to establish an expert group to support and advise local NHS boards in managing changes in the configuration of services and to advise the Health Department on the appropriateness of local reconfiguration.

  I expect the expert group, details of which will be announced shortly, to include a wide range of community, clinical and public service experience. The members of the group will be drawn from general medical, surgical and nursing expertise, as appropriate.

Health

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what work has been undertaken by the NHS on the merits or otherwise of locating day hospitals or ambulatory care and diagnostic centres in district general hospitals or regional centres.

Susan Deacon: The chief medical officer’s Acute Services Review Report , published in May 1998, endorsed the development of ambulatory care and diagnostic centres (ACADs), in suitable settings. The report indicated that such centres could respond to both primary and acute secondary care needs. It is for local health service providers to determine the most suitable location for any such developments, taking into account existing services in the area and the particular needs of their local populations.

Health

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in spreading public information on how people can be helped to stay healthy.

Susan Deacon: A vast amount of activity takes place at both national and local level with a view to providing the Scottish population with the information they need to help them become and stay healthy. At national level, the Health Education Board for Scotland undertakes a wide range of initiatives including, for example, the award winning "Big 3" (coronary heart disease, cancer and stroke) campaign for adults and the "Think About It" (smoking, drug misuse, alcohol misuse and sexual health) campaign for young people. This is complemented at local level by a broad variety of services offered by health board Health Promotion Departments ranging from the provision of leaflets/information/advice to the organising of exercise classes and healthy eating demonstrations. The Food Standards Agency provides advice on public health in connection with food standards and safety.

  All three organisations make extensive use of their websites as a way of getting the message across.

Health

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in tackling health inequalities and ill-health due to poverty.

Malcolm Chisholm: Tackling health inequalities is the overarching aim of our public health strategy, as set out in the white paper Towards a Healthier Scotland and Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change . Measures being taken to realise that aim include the network of Healthy Living Centres now being established, the Scottish Community Diet Project which works with low-income communities, a range of smoking, alcohol and drug misuse initiatives and the National Health Demonstration Projects in the priority areas of child health, sexual health, cancer and heart disease. Moreover, the Health Improvement Fund is investing an additional £100 million over four years in health improvement work.

  As well as addressing lifestyles and particular health topics, the Executive – in conjunction with partner organisations in Scotland and the UK Government – is also working to address the poor life circumstances that can contribute to ill health. Health is at the heart of the Executive’s approach to social justice and actions across the whole range of its programmes (for example, Social Inclusion Partnerships) is contributing to the fight to reduce health inequalities and improve the health and well-being of all Scots.

Health

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in the online dissemination of best practice in the field of public health.

Susan Deacon: Steady progress is being made in this area. The websites of the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health – www.show.scot.nhs.uk/scieh and the Health Education Board for Scotland - www.hebs.com are both used for this purpose.

  In addition, one of the key aims of the Public Health Institute of Scotland is to create an expanded evidence base for public health in Scotland to support policy and practice. This evidence base, when created, will appear on the PHIS website – www.show.scot.nhs.uk/phis.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce incentives for general practitioners to enter and remain in rural practice.

Susan Deacon: As an interim measure, pending the outcome of the negotiations on the GP contract, we are currently discussing with the profession in Scotland the introduction of a limited package of incentives aimed at GP recruitment and retention. Details will be announced when negotiations are complete.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce new contracts for rural health workers to address any shortage of rural general practitioners.

Susan Deacon: The needs of rural areas will be taken closely into account in the forthcoming UK-wide negotiations to amend the GP contract. We will also learn from the work of the solutions group which the Remote and Rural Areas Resource Initiative has established to examine specific recruitment and retention issues affecting staff across the full range of NHS work – including doctors. These include professional isolation and out-of-hours commitments associated with working in remote areas.

  Also, Personal Medical Services schemes allow different contractual arrangements to be tested. GPs can be salaried either by Primary Care Trusts or within practices or pilots can be practice-based. Earlier this year I announced an additional investment of £18.5 million to support the development of PMS. The extra resources were allocated to all health boards but the greatest share of resources went to those areas with high levels of deprivation and rural communities.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the specific needs of rural health workers will be addressed in future education and training courses for health workers.

Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18269. There are already provisions in place within NHSScotland’s Learning Together   Strategy that promotes education, training and lifelong learning for all NHSScotland staff.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS patients have been treated in (a) the private/independent sector and (b) hospitals outwith Scotland in each of the past five years.

Susan Deacon: (a) Reliable information on the number of NHS patients treated in private hospitals is not available centrally. However, the Information and Statistics Division, part of the Common Services Agency in NHSScotland, are currently working with the Scottish Executive, NHS Trusts, health boards and the private sector to resolve this issue.

  (b) The information is not available centrally.

Health

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current average waiting time is for restorative dental treatment at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Susan Deacon: In the year ended 31 March 2001, the median waiting time for a first out-patient appointment with a Consultant in Restorative Dentistry at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary was 118 days.

  Restorative dental treatments carried out within the Hospital and Community Health Service settings are primarily undertaken on an out-patient basis, and information on waiting times for such treatments is not held centrally. At Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, no patient was admitted from the waiting list for in-patient or day case treatment in the speciality of restorative dentistry in the year ended 31 March 2001.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether selenium deficiency is a cause of any medical conditions and, if so, what conditions it causes.

Susan Deacon: The only specific disease known to be linked to selenium deficiency is Keshan Disease, a disorder of the heart muscles primarily in children found in some areas of China where the soil is severely deficient in selenium. The Committee on the Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy (COMA) reviewed the nutritional implications of estimated selenium intakes in the UK and agreed that:

  selenium intakes and measurements of selenium status should continue to be monitored;

  further research should be encouraged to investigate whether the current levels of intake are adequate or whether the body adapts to changing intakes;

  there is currently no evidence of adverse health consequence from current intakes.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were given a domiciliary eye test in each health board area in each of the last five years.

Susan Deacon: Information on the number of domiciliary sight tests paid for by health boards and Primary Care NHS Trusts in Scotland is collected by the Common Services Agency as part of the General Ophthalmic Services return. The domiciliary information collected is not published due to concerns about the robustness of the data. Figures by health board of the number of domiciliary sight tests paid are shown in the table for the years ending 31 March 1998 to 2001. Information for the year ending 31 March 1997 is not shown due to quality concerns.

  Number of domiciliary visits paid for by Health Boards and Primary Care NHS Trusts

  

 

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  

2001 
  



Argyll and Clyde 
  

1,894 
  

2,266 
  

2,100 
  

2,471 
  



Ayrshire and Arran 
  

2,071 
  

2,171 
  

2,381 
  

2,356 
  



BORDERs 
  

409 
  

275 
  

491 
  

423 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

513 
  

425 
  

605 
  

841 
  



Fife 
  

849 
  

1,304 
  

1,464 
  

1,182 
  



Forth Valley 
  

1,116 
  

1,110 
  

1,375 
  

1,474 
  



Grampian 
  

1,491 
  

977 
  

1,827 
  

1,838 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

7,065 
  

5,876 
  

6,859 
  

7,065 
  



Highland 
  

397 
  

397 
  

824 
  

783 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

2,639 
  

2,106 
  

3,123 
  

3,280 
  



Lothian 
  

3,318 
  

3,411 
  

4,219 
  

4,042 
  



Orkney 
  

11 
  

0 
  

6 
  

29 
  



Shetland 
  

52 
  

54 
  

13 
  

42 
  



Tayside 
  

1,315 
  

1,805 
  

1,994 
  

2,535 
  



Western Isles 
  

38 
  

66 
  

37 
  

68 
  



Scotland Total 
  

23,178 
  

22,243 
  

27,318 
  

28,429 
  



  Notes:

  1..The increase in the number of sight tests for the years 31 March 2000 and 2001 reflects the change in legislation which allowed for free NHS sight tests for all aged 60 and over.

Historic Scotland

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what effect the introduction of the VAT recovery scheme will have on renovation work carried out by Historic Scotland on Grade A listed churches.

Allan Wilson: Grants are awarded by Historic Scotland on behalf of Scottish ministers in support of repairs to the historic fabric of buildings regarded as being of outstanding historic or architectural importance. The Government’s Listed Places of Worship Grants Scheme will operate retrospectively from 1 April 2001 and will have the effect of reducing the rate of VAT on certain costs to 5 per cent. The effect of the Listed Places of Worship Grants scheme will thus be to reduce the costs of such repairs, net of Historic Scotland grants, which fall upon the church authorities.

Historic Scotland

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive why Historic Scotland has taken action to implement the VAT recovery scheme for Grade A listed churches before the guidelines for its commencement were in place.

Allan Wilson: The Government has announced that the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme will operate retrospectively from 1 April 2001 and payments will commence in the financial year 2001-02. As the project costs borne by church authorities are thus reduced, Historic Scotland’s grant support, which is based on the eligible costs of projects, falls to be reduced proportionately. I have asked my officials to re-consider the mechanism for achieving this.

Historic Scotland

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Historic Scotland has been working with religious groups on the requirements under listed building and planning legislation in relation to the erection of telecommunications equipment, and, if so, whether any anomalies have been uncovered in the legislation in regard to such groups.

Allan Wilson: Proposals to repair or adapt listed buildings which may affect their architectural character or quality including the erection of telecommunications equipment are normally subject to listed building control and require the submission of an application for listed building consent to the planning authority. However, places of worship are currently exempt from this control, under section 54 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997. Historic Scotland operates the Ecclesiastical Exemption Pilot Scheme with the agreement of the Scottish Churches Committee for dealing with proposals for works to the external fabric of buildings in ecclesiastical use which, were it not for this exemption, would require listed building consent. The arrangements apply to all such buildings irrespective of whether planning permission would, or would not, also be required.

Historic Scotland

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people visited Historic Scotland properties located in (a) Stirling, (b) Clackmannanshire and (c) Fife have received in each year from 1999 to date.

Allan Wilson: I have asked Graeme Munro, Chief Executive of Historic Scotland to answer. His response is as follows.

  Listed in the table are the visitor numbers for Historic Scotland staffed sites in the Stirling, Clackmannanshire and Fife local authority areas for the calendar years 1999 and 2000 and for this calendar year to end August.

  


Site 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  

2001
To end of August 
  



Stirling 
  



Stirling Castle 
  

416,070 
  

430,362 
  

292,538 
  



Argyll’s Lodging 
  

68,604 
  

64,712 
  

50,043 
  



Doune Castle 
  

20,083 
  

19,347 
  

15,292 
  



Inchmahome Priory 
  

16,565 
  

17,854 
  

14,069 
  



Total 
  

521,322 
  

532,275 
  

371,942 
  



Clackmannanshire 
  



Castle Campbell 
  

19,277 
  

18,667 
  

11,182 
  



Fife 
  



Aberdour Castle 
  

10,346 
  

8,174 
  

7,640 
  



Dunfermline Abbey 
  

10,291 
  

9,677 
  

7,092 
  



Inchcolm Abbey 
  

15,103 
  

15,385 
  

15,284 
  



St Andrews Castle 
  

61,658 
  

59,991 
  

43,165 
  



St Andrews Cathedral 
  

34,019 
  

31,441 
  

23,435 
  



Total 
  

131,417 
  

124,668 
  

96,616

Hospices

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many hospice beds were available to the NHS in each of the last 10 years and how many are currently available, broken down by health board area.

Susan Deacon: The total number of beds available to the NHS in voluntary hospices for adults in each of the last 10 years, and a breakdown of the current number of beds available in each health board area, are shown in Tables 1 and 2.

  Table 1

  Number of beds available to the NHS in voluntary hospices (for adults)

  


Year 
  

total Number of Beds 
  



1992 
  

252 
  



1993 
  

254 
  



1994 
  

252 
  



1995 
  

256 
  



1996 
  

254 
  



1997 
  

250 
  



1998 
  

250 
  



1999 
  

270 
  



2000 
  

259 
  



2001 
  

243 
  



  Table 2

  Number of beds in adult voluntary hospices in each Health Board Area in current year.

  


Health Board 
  

Number of Beds 
  



Argyll and Clyde 
  

24 
  



Ayrshire and Arran 
  

20 
  



BORDERs 
  

- 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

- 
  



Fife 
  

- 
  



Forth Valley 
  

24 
  



Grampian 
  

- 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

74 
  



Highland 
  

10 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

20 
  



Lothian 
  

67 
  



Orkney 
  

- 
  



Shetland 
  

- 
  



Tayside 
  

- 
  



Western Isles 
  

4 
  



Total 
  

243

Hospices

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support it currently gives to hospices per hospice bed and what its estimate is of the cost to the NHS per bed of providing hospice beds itself.

Susan Deacon: It is not possible to isolate the funding which relates purely to bed provision. Information on the costs of the specialist palliative care provided by NHSScotland is not available centrally.

Hospices

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the costs of running hospices was met by (a) grants and (b) charitable donations in each of the past 10 years.

Susan Deacon: Since 1995-96, the earliest year for which figures are readily available, the total percentage of revenue funding provided to adult voluntary hospices in Scotland by health boards and through charitable donations is as follows.

  

 

Total % NHS Revenue
Funding 
  

Total % Charitable Donations 
  



1995-96 
  

43 
  

57 
  



1996-97 
  

42 
  

58 
  



1997-98 
  

43 
  

57 
  



1998-99 
  

40 
  

60 
  



1999-2000 
  

40 
  

60 
  



2000-01 
  

39 
  

61

Hospices

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines it gives to NHS funding bodies about the level of support that should be given to hospices.

Susan Deacon: Arrangements for the funding of adult voluntary hospices remain as set out in Management Executive Letter (1994)104.

Hospices

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review policy on the relationship between the NHS and the hospice movement.

Susan Deacon: We welcome the close partnership between the NHS and the hospice movement in Scotland. The totality of specialist palliative care provision is currently being reviewed as part of the implementation of the Scottish Cancer Plan. That work will take account of the Scottish Executive’s policy that palliative care has a role to play in respect of all progressive conditions, not just cancer.

Hospitals

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will direct Tayside Health Board to review its decision to withdraw acute services from Stracathro hospital now that the NHS Tayside budget deficit has been written off.

Susan Deacon: The pattern of acute hospital services in Tayside is a matter for the NHS board, in consultation with its planning partners and the people of Tayside. The decision to withdraw acute services from Stracathro was a clinical safety issue and was not taken on cost grounds. It is vital that health care services are sustainable, safe, and take account of local priorities.

Liquor Licensing

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration was given during the selection of the members of the committee set up to review liquor licensing law to any impact which their age profile would have on the committee’s ability to address effectively issues relating to drinking habits and culture amongst younger people and how it is intended that the committee will address such issues.

Iain Gray: We appointed the Chief Executive of Youthlink, Mr Simon Jaquet, as a member of the committee specifically to reflect the interests of younger people. How the committee now addresses these issues is for the committee itself to decide. The committee will be able to take into account any relevant conclusions produced by the Scottish Advisory Committee on Alcohol Misuse in its forthcoming national Plan for Action on Alcohol Misuse.

MMR Vaccine

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the take-up figures were for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccination in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Susan Deacon: Figures published by Information and Statistics Division of the Common Services Agency give the uptake of MMR for children aged up to 24 months at quarter ended 30 June 2001 as 87.8 per cent.

NHS Expenditure

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16758 by Susan Deacon on 31 July 2001, whether any revenue and capital resources within the health budget remain unallocated following the realignment of resources to support the implementation of free personal care.

Susan Deacon: All resources within the health budget for 2001-02 are allocated to specific programmes. During the course of a financial year resources may become available due to savings or slippage in individual programmes and these are used to meet emerging pressures or fund new developments.

  Final allocations for 2002-03 and 2003-04 are subject to Parliament’s approval of the relevant Budget Bills, however all resources have been allocated for specific purposes.

NHS Pay

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure equal pay for work of equal value in the NHS.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive is playing a full part in taking forward Agenda for Change - proposals for modernising the NHS pay system. These proposals aim to ensure that issues of equal pay for work of equal value are addressed and that all NHSScotland staff are rewarded fairly according to the work they do and the contribution they make.

NHS Staff

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to develop the NHS as a learning organisation and to promote lifelong learning for all staff there.

Susan Deacon: There are already provisions in place within NHSScotland’s Learning Together   Strategy that promotes lifelong learning for all NHSScotland staff. This strategy provides a framework for all staff to strengthen and improve upon existing practices that provides them with an opportunity to develop and further their careers in the health service.

NHS Staff

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to build career pathways and improve career development in the NHS.

Susan Deacon: We have appointed a dedicated NHSScotland SVQ/Modern Apprenticeship secondee to encourage all staff to take up formal qualifications that are workplace based and assessed.

  In addition to this, we have provided support funding for Return to Learn, a programme designed to widen the access to education and learning for all NHSScotland staff.

NHS Waiting Times

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time was for a tonsillectomy at (a) Vale of Leven hospital and (b) Royal Alexandra hospital in the period 1 January 2001 to 31 August 2001.

Susan Deacon: Provisional figures for the year ending 31 March 2001 show that the median waiting times for tonsillectomies at Vale of Leven hospital and the Royal Alexandra hospital were 161 days and 55 days respectively.

  Waiting times for routine tonsillectomy operations have increased in recent months due to the need for these procedures to be undertaken with single-use, disposable instruments.

Organ Donation

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there has been any decrease in the donation of organs for either research or transplant following the disclosure of unauthorised organ retention.

Susan Deacon: There has been a slight increase in the number of organ donors for transplantation in the period 1January 2001 to 31 August 2001 compared to the same period last year. Overall, however, there has been a decline in organ donation rates in recent years, and the Executive is currently considering what action can be taken to improve them.

  The information available suggests that there has been a drop in the number of hospital post-mortems, and it can therefore be assumed that this will have led to a decrease in the number of organs retained for research. The Executive is supporting the work of the Review Group on the Retention of Organs at Post-Mortem in devising a standard information leaflet and consent form regarding hospital post-mortems.

Organ Donation

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10739 by Susan Deacon on 27 November 2000, what success it had in increasing the uptake of donor cards following its TV advertising campaign; what further measures it has taken to encourage organ donation; how successful any such measures have been, and what additional measures it intends to take to raise awareness of an individual’s rights with regard to organ donation.

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is currently being taken to encourage more people to state their intentions regarding organ transplantation.

Susan Deacon: The number of organ donor leaflets requested from the Scottish Executive so far this year has already exceeded last year’s total by over 31,000. The Scottish Executive has recently provided funding support towards a billboard and cinema advertising initiative organised by the Scottish Transplant Co-ordinators, which took place during Transplant Awareness Week.

  The Scottish Executive is currently considering a range of potential measures to raise public awareness about organ donation. We have asked the Scottish Transplant Group to develop a strategy to increase organ donation and I expect to be able to make an announcement once I have received its report later this year.

  One key way of helping to increase organ donation rates is for people who would be willing to donate organs to discuss their intentions with their family, so that the family is aware of those intentions if they are ever asked to decide whether organ donation should take place.

Parliamentary Questions

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines relating to commercial confidentiality it follows when answering parliamentary questions.

Sarah Boyack: Answers to parliamentary questions are provided by reference to the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information . The terms of the exemptions in the code for "effective management and operations of the public service", "third party’s commercial confidences" and "information given in confidence" may therefore require to be considered when parliamentary questions raise commercial confidentiality issues.

Parliamentary Questions

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17478 by Sarah Boyack on 28 August 2001, whether her answer to question S1W-10834 on 1 December 2000 breached commercial confidentiality rules.

Sarah Boyack: No. The estimated cost of a project prior to contract award is not normally disclosed as it affects the Scottish Executive’s negotiating position. However, the figure quoted in my answer to question S1W-10834 was the Executive’s assessment of the possible final cost once the contract was under way. It was based on the rates tendered for the work by the successful contractor Booz Allen and Hamilton.

Population

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17479 by Susan Deacon on 24 September 2001, what the range of implications from the continuing decline in the Scottish birth rate will be.

Susan Deacon: As explained in the answer to question S1W-17479, actuarial predictions suggest that the Scottish birth rate will remain fairly constant over the next 20 years. Any changes that take place will be small and gradual and are therefore unlikely to have significant effects on economic and social structures.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were employed at the headquarters of the Scottish Prison Service in each year since 1998 and how many were on (a) part-time and (b) full-time and, in each category, (i) temporary and (ii) permanent contracts.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The following table shows the numbers as of April in each year.

  





April 1998 
  

April 1999 
  

April 2000 
  

April 2001 
  



Full-Time Permanent 
  

199 
  

214 
  

209 
  

212 
  



Full-Time Temporary 
  

34 
  

40 
  

35 
  

21 
  



Part-Time Permanent 
  

5 
  

5 
  

7 
  

6 
  



Part-Time Temporary 
  

1 
  

2 
  

2 
  

2 
  



Total 
  

239 
  

261 
  

253 
  

241

Roads

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place or will be implemented to ensure that local authority roads are adequately maintained to provide a reliable and safe platform for all transportation modes including enhanced public transport service provision.

Sarah Boyack: In the 2000 Spending Review I allocated £70 million extra for local authorities to enable them to invest in repair and maintenance of roads and bridges.

  It is a matter for each council as the local roads authority to take the appropriate action for its area.

School Trips

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority regarding adventure activities undertaken in the context of school trips.

Allan Wilson: The Executive and the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority have observer status on the Health and Safety Commission’s Adventure Activities Industry Advisory Committee.

School Trips

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents regarding adventure activities undertaken in the context of school trips.

Allan Wilson: None.

School Trips

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Health and Safety Executive regarding adventure activities undertaken in the context of school trips.

Allan Wilson: The Executive has observer status on the Health and Safety Commission’s Adventure Activities Industry Advisory Committee which is serviced by and attended by the Health and Safety Executive.

School Trips

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools in Scotland have undergone inspection in the past three years by the Health and Safety Executive in connection with arrangements for school trips.

Allan Wilson: This is a matter for the Health and Safety Executive.

Skye Bridge

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17710 by Sarah Boyack on 24 September 2001, what mechanisms are in place to allow MSPs to scrutinise the financial details of the Skye bridge contract in order to protect the interests of their constituents.

Sarah Boyack: Scottish ministers are bound by the duty of confidentiality set out in the concession agreement with Skye Bridge Limited and cannot release details of the contract to members.

Social Justice

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to tackle the issues identified in the Scottish Council Foundation report Beyond Disappointment: Building Better Communities with respect to the community of Govanhill, Glasgow.

Jackie Baillie: Beyond Disappointment: Building Better Communities highlighted a number of key issues impacting on Govanhill. Glasgow City Council has provided a formal response to the Scottish Council Foundation. The priorities identified – tackling drugs, improving local employment opportunities and environmental standards – are being pursued by Glasgow City Council, in partnership with relevant agencies.

  Building strong and inclusive communities is at the heart of our social justice agenda. The Scottish Executive’s Community Regeneration Statement, which will be published later this year, will set out what is being done to revive and empower communities across Scotland.

Sport

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive in which years it has made funding provision for (a) the Ryder Cup and Euro 2008 bids and (b) the implementation of its National Cultural Strategy and how any such allocations can be identified in its annual expenditure reports.

Allan Wilson: The costs of the Ryder Cup bid were met from provision made in 2000-01 and 2001-02. This cannot be identified separately in the annual expenditure reports. Provision for the additional programmes identified as part of the Ryder Cup bid was made each year of the spending period and forms part of the provision for sport and VisitScotland.

  In the case of Euro 2008, provision for the preparation of a bid will be met from provision made for this financial year. Funding implications of further commitments which may be made within the bid have yet to be identified.

  Funding for the implementation of the national cultural strategy is also being provided for each year of the spending period. However, allocations have been provided to a number of bodies including the Scottish Arts Council and the national institutions and local authorities and cannot be identified specifically in the annual expenditure reports.

Sport

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the £3 million announced by the Minister for Finance and Local Government on 28 June 2001 for sport and culture will be spent on funding the bids for the 2009 Ryder Cup and the 2008 European Football Championships, how much has been spent to date and what the breakdown of this expenditure is.

Allan Wilson: Approximately £100,000 has been spent from this allocation on bidding for the Ryder Cup.

  We are in discussion with the Scottish Football Association (SFA) about the costs associated with the preparation a bid for Euro 2008. We have identified a provisional budget of £500,000 for work in this financial year from the major events budget the detailed allocation of which will be agreed with the SFA. Any funding in future years would be dependent on whether Scotland bids to host the Euro 2008 finals.

Sport

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to draw up a "Domesday Book", similar to the one recently announced by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, to list all sporting facilities in Scotland.

Allan Wilson: Sportscotland are planning a major audit of indoor and outdoor sports facilities. This information together with that gathered from the recently published swimming pool refurbishment study will give us an overall picture of the condition of sports facilities in Scotland and, as with the planned Domesday Book in England, will assist with future planning.

Sport

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made or plans to make to the Six Nations Committee and European Cup Ltd, Scottish Rugby Union, the BBC or other bodies regarding the suggested staging of fixtures in the Six Nations Championships on Friday nights.

Allan Wilson: None. The staging of fixtures in the Six Nations Championship is a matter for the Championship Committee.